Week 22

This week has been a much more relaxing, enjoyable time for our little family! I've begun the two-week-long psychiatry block of medical school, which has been refreshing, interesting, and such a welcome change-of-pace! Diseases of the mind and mood are fascinating to learn about, but I can't imagine struggling with one in real life. I admire those who do even more now, and commend them on their daily fight for happiness.

Outside of school, Andy & I attended another parenting class called "Little Fingers, Little Toes," where we learned all about infant care. Swaddling, bathing, diapering, and feeding were all on the agenda, and after 2 hours with our guinea pig, little Mr. Baby Doll :-), we were feeling much more prepared. Thankfully, we've also had 2 little nephews to practice on, so hopefully we're at least partially prepared for this sweet boy. Stay tuned to find out, haha! ;-)

Wednesday I spent the afternoon watching our wedding DVD with Jen, and boy was that fun! Of course I loved our wedding and DVD, but it was so fun to see Jen enjoying it, too! Sometimes I think Jen & I are long-lost sisters because our minds work so similarly--if I notice the tiniest detail or laugh at the most awkward moments, I know she probably will too :-) I'm beyond blessed to have her in my life, and I just know Grayson will love her, too!

I spent the rest of the week studying for our upcoming pysch exam (with a two-week-long block, tests roll around quickly!), but did manage to take a shopping break to pick out a cozy rug for Grayson's room. After much debate between navy and sage, the sage won! Below are a couple pictures of his room decor so far.

His adorable bedding :-) Thanks Aunt T-T!

A super-cute construction lamp we found at BuyBuy Baby. 

We may just have to get this!

The sage green vs. navy rugs. Sage Green won :-) 

(Note Andy's footprint on the navy, haha!)

Saturday I baked some yummy banana bread (Andy was thrilled---not! He's certainly not a banana bread fan :-/ ) and finished my psych studying because Sunday we were going to be very, very busy! Our family, following Dad's lead, had planned a surprise birthday party for my Mom, complete with a delicious ice cream cake! So, while Mom & Dad were out, Tiff, Brian, Eli, Owen, Andy & I snuck in and awaited their arrival. When Mom walked through her kitchen door, the look of surprise and joy on her face was priceless! I wish I had taken my camera, but in the rush of the surprise, I forgot it at home :-( After celebrating with the family, we trudged back to Lex and I finished up week 22 with a psychiatry exam. Thankfully it went great and I was able to spend some time afterwards relaxing with my sweet husband!

Here's our weekly update:

How Far Along: 22 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 4 lbs
Stretchmarks: None
Sleep: Ok, but I've learned that Grayson gets agitated if I lay on my left side for too long. I'm wondering if I'm laying on him a bit?
Best Moment this Week: Seeing Mom's surprise and joy on her birthday!
Movement: Yes, we've got one active boy on our hands :-)
Gender: Baby boy
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button: In :-)
What I Miss: Nothing
What I am Looking Forward to:  My Birthday :-)
Milestones: Little Grayson has finally reached the 1 lb mark! Hooray! He's also between 8 & 11" long (about the length of a spaghetti squash) and is busy kicking up a storm inside Mommy :-) Andy & I are able to feel him from the outside much more strongly now, and we love it! He is now able to sense light & dark and his eyes are fully developed, except for lacking pigmentation in his irises. We're betting they'll fill in with a beautiful blue eventually though, since Mommy & Daddy both have blue peepers!

22 Weeks

(No picture this week :-( Sorry guys, the week just flew away from me!)

Til Next Time,
Hugs & Kisses,
A Southern Sweetheart

Week 21

My goodness! How time has flown! I can't believe that it's been so long since my last post! Honestly, I feel like the past 6-7 weeks just vanished before my eyes, leaving me exhausted and a bit confused ;-) So, before I begin the daunting task of catching you up on the busyness of the past month-and-a-half, please accept my apologies for the delay! It certainly wasn't intentional!

Week 21 brought with it tons of fun and a bit of stress, too. On the fun/positive side--Andy & I received some great news about my requested maternity leave from medical school: I've been granted 8 weeks off! Thankfully those 8 weeks will be easy to make-up during scheduled vacation times and fourth year--so we've definitely been blessed! And of course those weeks off will certainly come in handy when our little guy needs feeding, changing, or just loving & cuddling ;-)

Also on the fun side, we checked out the new local Hobby Lobby branch, which just made me even more excited about decorating Grayson's nursery! The cute wooden alphabet letters, children's tables, and colorful accessories were beyond inspiring and had my creative gears churning away for days! Should we go with a nautical theme, an "under-the-sea" spread, or a more tame, peaceful pallet of blues and greens? After much thought we settled on a construction theme for his room. I thought this would be cute and boy-ish and should last him a few years. Plus, Andy loves all things transportation related, so with any luck, our little one will love it, too! We've already received adorable crib bedding from my sweet sister and we snagged a matching rug from Bed, Bath & Beyond, so Baby Grayson's "construction collection" is already growing :-)

I have to admit, though, I think our Hobby Lobby excursion may have ignited my first wave of nesting.  Since then I've just been so anxious to get settled into a new home and start preparing for sweet Grayson's arrival. Andy's been very patient with me, but Lord have mercy on my dear husband when that nesting instinct really kicks in in full force later in the pregnancy! I hope I'm not as crazy as I fear I could be :-/ haha! I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Later in the week, propelled by that new-found nesting instinct, we began house hunting in Mt. Sterling. Mom came with us, but despite our best efforts, we weren't too successful. We had entertained the idea of purchasing early on in our search, but because we aren't sure where I'll be completing my residency or where we'll want to settle down long-term, Andy & I decided to rent for just a bit longer. Unfortunately, the decision to rent complicated our search--there just aren't too many single-family rental properties in Mt. Sterling! So, discouraged, we ended our search for the week and planned a return trip in the near future.

The remainder of the week just sped along! We spent Friday evening learning about Switzerland at a local community outing which my Mother had planned. We devoured authentic Swiss dishes like Swiss steak & beef stew, and we even left with delicious Swiss chocolates for later! After learning about Swiss art and culture, Andy & I decided to add Switzerland to our ever-growing "Must Travel" list. I guess we're going to be one jet-setting family someday ;-) Week 21 ended with a pathology test and dinner with my classmates. I still can't believe we're past the half-way point and rolling forward so quickly! Baby Grayson will be here before long, and we just can't wait!


How Far Along: 21 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 2 lbs
Stretchmarks: None
Sleep: Solid
Best Moment this Week: Deciding on a theme for baby's room and visiting with family!
Movement: Yes, getting quite strong now :-)
Gender: Baby boy
Labor Signs: None
Belly Button: In :-)
What I Miss: Nothing
What I am Looking Forward to: Taking our next childbirth/parenting class
Milestones: Grayson now weighs in at about 3/4 of a pound and is about as long as a large carrot! His eyebrows and eyelids are fully formed and his little taste buds are already working. That means that he can taste what Mommy eats! (I'm predicting that he'll like spicy food and maybe, just maybe, have a bit of a sweet tooth ;-))

21 Weeks

 

 

Til Next Time, 

Hugs & Kisses,

A Southern Sweetheart